Foot Patrol: Are Your Flip-Flops Damaging Your Feet?
Jul 29, 2010; 11:16 AM ET
I celebrate the arrival of summer the same way every year: by throwing my winter boots and close-toed shoes into the back of the closet and slipping my feet into a pair of flip-flops. After all, sandals and sunshine go together like peanut butter and jelly: one naturally enhances the other. Plus, after months of being cooped up in sneakers and Wellies, feet crave the freedom that flip-flops provide, like allowing toes to wiggle and air out (and show off pretty pedicures in the process).
But I've noticed that after a few weeks of steady flip-flop use, my step doesn't have quite the same cheerful bounce it did before. My ankles feel sore, like I've been running miles all day instead of running my usual errands around town. Unfortunately, that's because flip-flops aren't designed for daily, prolonged use. Comfortable and freeing though they may feel initially, wearing them for too long can cause serious damage to our lower body.
The Dangers of Frequent Flip-Flop Use
Podiatrists have warned us against frequent flip-flop use for years, but a 2008 study at Alabama's Auburn University really shed some light on the issue. Researchers asked thirty-nine volunteers to walk across a platform in flip-flops while they videotaped the movement. They also rigged the platform to measure how much pressure each walker's step exerted. What the cameras and platform revealed was that people walk differently when wearing flip-flops. They take shorter strides, turn their ankles toward each other, and clench their toes together in order to keep the flip-flops from flying off mid-stride. Over time, these tendencies can lead to inflamed and/or painful connective tissue in the arch, stretched tendons, and ankle and hip problems. Researchers advised that switching from thong-style flip-flops to sandals that have an ankle strap could prevent such maladies.
More recently, a study out of Rush Medical College that was published in a 2010 issue of Arthritis Care & Research reached a different conclusion about flip-flop effects--namely, that they're more beneficial than previous research showed. In this study, thirty-one knee-osteoarthritis sufferers wore flip-flops, clogs, stability shoes, and flat walking shoes while researchers studied their gait. Surprisingly, the shoes that proved best for the group--as in, those that put the least amount of pressure on their weakened knees--were the flip-flops, because of their flexible soles and minimal heel height.
Vicki Santillano for DivineCaroline.com
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